Although he could have used ice instead, there were limits, and it wasn’t so good for expressing details, so he chose to work on a boulder instead.

Weed stood, staring at the boulder.

“What should I make?”

In the past, he wouldn’t have hesitate.

Fire!

Fire!

Or something warm.

It’s always the most effective to make something simple and straightforward.

It was easier on the mind when not considering the added benefits that were desired from the finished product and just focusing on the sculpture. But as his experiences built up, the eye for making sculptures became different.

“A sculpture doesn’t exist by itself. It’s more important to consider the situation.”

Even if he sculpts a campfire, it will only give a small warmth factor.

Sculpting is not that simple.

It is made to reflect genuine passion and the spirit of art!

Weed realized how his skill wasn’t on par with a master artisan.

But at the least he now knows the most important element of making a sculpture.

“The sculpture is as good as dead if it doesn’t contain emotion.”

He sculpted for his grandmother once in real life, in front of her who had aged with him for his entire life.

Of course, his sculpting skill was pathetic.

Even if he sculpted hundreds or thousands of times in virtual reality, it’s different in reality.

Considering how he was experimenting with sculpting, where the small touch from his fingertip made a huge difference in the sculpture itself, it was a very risky thing.

The sculpture he completed had many flaws.

When looked at closely, it had many places that weren’t properly finished and had scars because he put too much strength when carving.

Critical flaws to sculptures!

Still, it moved people’s hearts.

Because the sculpture had his grandmother’s life stored inside.

To someone who didn’t know, they would only think of it as a sculpture of a grandmother.

But to an elderly woman who had gone through various difficulties throughout her entire life, it would feel differently.

A face that became so familiar to the point that it almost came alive.

As he completed the sculpture, the face that had the trace of life melted in and gave the elderly expression various feelings.

Even if it was a famous artisan’s sculpture, it wouldn’t move people if it was only made with skill and without purpose.

In sculpting, time and life had to be invested into it.

Therefore, it was critical to match the sculpture to his situation.

‘Definitely, I can’t ignore the setting. I need to put in as much of my life as I can into it. I need a sculpture that honestly expresses the situation I am in.’

Then Weed thought of an idea.

A man and a woman were left in the cold, earth-freezing North.

A couple pained by extreme coldness.

Nature was nothing but cruel.

A blizzard came every day and hungry wolves cried.

Aohhhhh!

“Come this way.”

The man had the duty to protect the woman.

After going through many difficulties, they found a safe cave and took refuge inside, away from the vicious wolves.
However, even if they managed to escape from dangerous enemies, hunger and cold still followed them.

The woman with bottomless beauty and immense kindness, the only one of her sort in the whole world, said to the man.

“I’m cold.”

The man could do nothing but watch her with sad eyes.

Because he was useless, he couldn’t protect the woman he loved.

Their lives stood on the verge of death.

If only I could sacrifice my life to save this woman!

The man would definitely have done it if it would save her life.

But the reality was that it would not change the situation, and the woman knew.

The woman did not blame the man.

“Still, thank you.”

“For what?”

“For staying with me until the end. And I love you.”

To the man who had a soft and gentle heart, her words where the best gift possible.

Wharak!

The man folded his arms around the woman.

“I love you too.”

No matter how cold the sky and earth was, it couldn’t freeze the hearts of this couple. They could feel a thread of warmth as they hugged each other.

“Yeah, this kind of concept would be the best.”

Weed took out his sculpting knife and approached the boulder.

Seeuk.

Rock powders fell.

Cutting the edge of the boulder, he slowly gave it shape.

Accenting the feeling of the couple who worry about and care for each another, he sculpted.

Of course, the story had different facts from the real situation.

It’s true that Weed and Seoyoon came to the North. But they were never separated and alone by themselves.

Alveron was there, as well as the Wyverns and Bingryong.

“Can’t you fight well! You powerless, useless things!”

Weed harassed Bingryong and the Wyverns, and even forced the holy priest Alveron to work. But he hid all those truths.

And, the truth didn’t end with just that. The powerless woman who stirs up the instinct to protect and the woman Seoyoon were far different from each other!

The strong female warrior who can slay just about any monster, Seoyoon.

The appearance of hungry wolves was true at least, but the reason why they cried was different.

They were crying, pleading for mercy, merely tasty food that got slaughtered for food as soon as they were seen.

Even when they came to such place, Weed adapted instead of starving to death.

“Well, art needs some ignorance of reality from time to time.”

Even if it’s a hero who saved a country from danger, he will have to go to the restroom too.

One can sculpt about how he led a war to victory, but one can’t really draw or sculpt such a scene.

Depending whether it was night or day, battles happened periodically, so Seoyoon logged in when there would be hunting.

As the sun rose and bright light filtered in from the outside of the cave, the temperature rose a bit over night.

“Then, let’s go hunting.”

With the Wyverns, Weed headed to the Valley of Death.

Hunting when the sun’s up, sculpting when the sun’s down.

Like that, the sculpture started to take form after several days.

A man and a woman were hugging each other with the expression that they were about to cry out in inexplicable sorrow.

But Weed felt it was incomplete.

“It’s not enough with only hugging each other.”

Although the couple was so close to each other, there wasn’t much feeling coming from the scene.

They were just a couple that had great sadness and pain.

Weed carefully thought what was missing.

“What would I feel if I was the man?” he asked himself.

He would be desperate and feel powerless.

Looking at the lover who was slowly dying, trying to warm her up, the man would feel very sad.

The fact that he himself could not endure any more, and that he would have to say farewell to his lover, his heart would be heavy with sadness.

Farewell and death.

He lost family members before, so he knew how much sadness it brought.

Weed decided.

“This is failed product.”

Although he worked very hard for several days, he decisively abandoned it.

When knowing that it would be a failure, he couldn’t continue to make it.

Weed started sculpting a different boulder.

This time, the couple was hugging each other again.

As if he was trying to waste his time, there was not much difference from the other one.

Even if he makes a similar sculpture, Weed’s sculpting skill wasn’t as pathetic as before, so it would raise the mastery of it a bit.

If there were any difference, the man and the woman were smiling now.

The most loving smiles they could show to one another.

“If you’re about to leave this world, you should smile. That’s the last thing you can show to the person you love.”

Weed’s parents passed away when he was small.

He saw his parents for the last time when they were going into the surgery room in the hospital.

At that time, Weed cried and cried.

He cried because it was heartbreaking.

But, no one would know how much he regretted it afterwards.

“I should’ve smiled. I should’ve shown them the best smile.”

He should’ve smiled. Shown that it’s alright, and that he would live happily with his sister and grandmother.

Not being able to do it always remained as one of his regrets.

“Yes, a smile is the best.”

Weed made the sculptures have the happiest smile toward each other.

A smile with abundant love and trust.

Still, it had a somewhat sad and ominous mood.

With their two arms, they embraced each other as much as possible, to share a little of their warm between each other, and to never separate from each other.

Please name the Sculpture

Weed said as he pointed the sculpting knife.

“Warm Lovers.”

He decided on the name simply because they were hugging each other in a cold place.

But it came out to be a good one, going mysteriously well with the mood of the sculpture.

Would you like to name the sculpture Warm Lovers?

“Yes.”

In truth, he had some guilt as he named the sculpture.

Because of the man and woman’s faces.

He didn’t realize it in the beginning, but the man resembled himself a lot.

Because he became emotional and sculpted as he thought back to his regret, he unconsciously carved his own face.

Because he went through so much hardship, he couldn’t smile purely.

It was not a rotten smile, but a reliable and bright smile that he only showed to his family.

If it was only the man that resembled Weed, there would be no problem.

But the problem was the woman’s face resembled Seoyoon so much so that it was as if he brought Seoyoon’s face and placed it there.

Seoyoon’s beauty was such that it would be no exaggeration to say her beauty was absolute.

To the point where one’s own taste or preference wouldn’t matter, Seoyoon was beautiful.

After sculpting her several times, to the point where he would be able to sculpt her with his eyes closed, he naturally sculpted her.

‘How troublesome.’

It would be problematic to deal with afterwards, but Weed decided to leave it for now.

No matter what, Weed liked the finished sculpture.

It’s not like he can edit a sculpture that is this complete.

Because the woman’s or rather Seoyoon’s face was turned toward the cave wall, it wouldn’t be easy to look at unless one purposefully put an effort into it.

Ding!

Moonlight Magnum Opus.
You have completed the Warm Lovers!The warm lovers from the place where even breath would freeze. The work expresses the lovers’ passionate love that even death cannot separate.Due to its impressive expressiveness, the work deserves to be displayed even in a king’s personal museum or in a palace.
This great work will have more value as time goes by.
The creative and highly artistic sculptor has learned and recovered the forgotten skill, Moonlight Sculpting.
This work will leave its name in the continent's history of sculpting.
Artistic value:

Exceptional sculptor Weed’s work.

2,600.

Special options:

Those who have seen Warm Lovers will have 20% increase in Health and Mana regeneration rate for a day.

Resistance to cold increased by 40%.

Maximum Health increased by 25%.

All stats have a 20 point increase.

- The sculpture fumes out hot air that would make one burn oneself when touching the sculpture.

- Party experience gain increased by 6%.

- When lovers hug one another in front of the sculpture, they can receive the blessing of Warm Lovers.

- Does not stack with other sculptures’ effect.

- The number of Moonlight Magnum Opuses completed: 1

- Advance Sculpting skill level rises to 2. Sculpting becomes surprisingly detailed and delicate.
- Dexterity skill mastery rises.
- Sculpture Understanding skill level rises by 1.
- Fame rises by 460.
- Art stat rises by 30
- Charm rises by 7.
- Warm Lovers was recorded in the history of sculpting.
- When talented sculptors look at this sculpture, it will help them improve their sculpting.
- For making a Moonlight Magnum Opus, all stats additionally rise by 4.

Like always, Seoyoon logged in when night was about to end.

Unless there were dishes to clean after eating or leather to sort that was stacked up to be done from hunting, she logged in on time.

She didn’t log in much in the past.

But after coming with Weed to the North, she was never late.

A place where freezing air flowed about.

But today, warm wind came from deep inside the cave.

".........?"

After looking around, Seoyoon found a sculpture that wasn’t there before.

There was a man who was dressed lightly.

There was a woman who was wearing short sleeved clothes, unfitting to the climate here.

‘Such a great sculpture.’

From where Seoyoon was, she could see the back of the woman sculpture and the man’s face.

The man’s face resembled Weed quite a lot.

‘How can he smile like that?’

Seoyoon tilted her head.

Although the sculpture had thin clothes on, they had smiles that warmed the heart.

The warm wind came from the sculpture.

"........."

Seoyoon kept on looking at the sculpture.

‘Such a well-made sculpture.’

The expression and detail made it hard to believe it was made of rock.

The sculpture that emitted gentle light was very beautiful.

Although their faces were smiling, they were trying hard to embrace each other a bit more in such harsh conditions.

It was a sculpture that filled the heart with affection.

‘Only a person with a warm heart would be able to make such sculpture.’

With gentle eyes, Seoyoon looked at Weed who was sleeping near the sculpture.

He was a person with various talents. He cooked well and could survive well. A cheapskate who tried very hard to get even a penny more.

Still, he had one thing that not many people had. A warm heart.

She thought he was a good person.

Then Weed suddenly sprung up from his sleep.

“I guess I fell asleep after working so hard. She wouldn’t be here yet right? Gasp!”

When he looked up and found Seoyoon, his face became as pale as a sheet, as if he had seen a ghost.

He shivered as well.

“W-When did you...”

Weed’s fear did not cease.

If she saw the face on the sculpture, she wouldn’t let him go easily!

But Seoyoon stood there expressionless. She thought Weed was a great person, but she didn’t show her feelings.

‘I cannot be loved by anyone.’

Seoyoon always felt pain in her heart.

For years, she lived not talking to anyone.

She wanted to talk, have a conversation. But fear always came first.

The fear of not knowing when she’ll be scarred and that she will never be loved.

She was used to not expressing her emotion.

If she hid herself from everyone, the pain would be less.

Still, she spent a considerable amount of time with Weed.

The happy Morata town’s festival.

The time in the cave.

At least Seoyoon wasn’t uncomfortable hanging around Weed.

Still, she didn’t express herself.

She had to hide herself especially more because he was one of the few whom she knew.

‘Phew, she didn’t see yet.’

Looking at Seoyoon’s reaction, Weed could only guess she hadn’t seen the woman’s face yet.

“So,” he said hurriedly. “Let’s go hunt!”

Since Seoyoon didn’t have reason to refuse, they headed outside the cave.

I was listening to a certain song while reading this chapter and started weeping like a baby thinking of my deceased grandpa and what I would feel if my wife died... I've cried very few times in my life but this got the waterworks going.. heck I even started tearing up when Seoyoon started crying while watching the statue of herself a while back. I guess one does go soft with age! ^^

I'm absolutely loving this novel! it has quality comedy and surprising dept, I'm so glad there's almost 40 volumes left to read, even though not all translated..

Can't believe some misunderstand that he was indeed talking about his own grandmother. He was talking about how beginners works can transcends the works of masters just by pouring feelings or like artists prefer to say it, once soul into it.

Which is why people who see the work he made of his grandmother still think it's a work of art even though it was done by him in real life where his sculpting skills are average or pathetic like he said himself compared to his advanced sculpting skills in the game.

And obviously he said this, cause he knows he has to pour his soul and feelings into this work now a days to make the works he's making now being able to advance his skills, and wouldn't do his reputation injustice which would risk him losing fame, (and what were the others?).

Can't believe some misunderstood that he was indeed talking about his own grandmother?...

"He sculpted for his grandmother once in real life, in front of her who had aged with him for his entire life." Please explain to me how that's so hard to misunderstand that you can't believe it? In fact I can't believe you misunderstood it as a simple translation error? There are skips in this light novel, they don't explain every minute of his life to us, they don't even explain every single normal sculpture he used to make, and as the 'fine' sculptures start piling up they'll stop explaining those ones to us as well, we'll start to notice jumps in the numbers as they become more and more common.

This meant quite literally what he said, at one point that hadn't be described to us prior to this, he was in his grandmother's hospital room carving for her, his carving skill didn't directly translate over from the game since the game helps to assist him making him less likely to make errors. In person he indeed isn't half the sculptor he is in game, but although the sculptor itself had obvious carving flaws, people who looked at it would be able to feel the emotions the artist put into it as they would when looking upon almost any piece of good artwork.

If there's only one thing I wish the author would stop doing it would be always describing how ultra perfect Seoyoon is. Yes, yes for the thousandth time I get it, she's extremely beautiful. I get the concept, I really do, but the author's words defy my feeble imagination. Try as I might I cannot imagine someone with indescribable beauty as to be unable to describe something you can imagine is paradoxical.

I've gotten used to it at this point. The author keeps repeating himself over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. I guess just to fill the pages.

i just hate seoyoon. i have no sympathy for her at all. anything short of gang rape gives her no exuse to be such a retarded depressed witch w/ a b. i call bull that she is beautiful she is either a stick or lard @ss with her current life style- play games, eat, shit, and therapy or tests. if she actually exersized she wouldn't be so depressed, thats a fact do to the chemicals the body sends to the brain. her docter is incompitent and should probably be fired.

Exercising can definitely assist but not necessarily correct issues such as that, and a gang rape isn't the only thing that can emotional scar a person like this. Perhaps the only thing that could do it in an instant but prolonged physical, verbal, and sexual abuse could have just as bad effects if not worse. As far as being a "witch with a b" is.. how? how exactly is she being one? Because she doesn't talk? All mutes are automatically one because they can't speak? Her life style wouldn't destroy her skeletal structure which plays a lot of impact on how 'beautiful' a person is, most of a persons natural looks are based on genetics and while an unhealthy lifestyle will diminish them it can't completely wipe it out unless you go out of your way to live an excessively unhealthy style or do drugs.

i just hate seoyoon. i have no sympathy for her at all. anything short of gang rape gives her no exuse to be such a retarded depressed witch w/ a b. i call bull that she is beautiful she is either a stick or lard @ss with her current life style- play games, eat, shit, and therapy or tests. if she actually exersized she wouldn't be so depressed, thats a fact do to the chemicals the body sends to the brain. her docter is incompitent and should probably be fired.

How dare you insult the goddess that Seoyoon is. Well I do agree a bit, her circumstances don't warrant at all how reclusive she is. Compared to Weed who is emotionally as solid as a rock, she's as fragile as they come. But lets just excuse her with the (weak) excuse that pretty girls get away with everything, especially one who is as pretty and pure as a goddess.

And again, I'll refrain of posting spoilers but she is damn great in later volumes.

U r really insensitive aren't you. 1 never hate a mental illness or physical illness (your basically saying tell a person with depression stop being depressed or a deaf to hear a mute to talk a 2leg amputee to walk blind to see) 2 your name is far from the truth a realistic person would know based on her actions she is in a hospital for a reason and that some of the best doctors in the world can't cure some things (aka cancer ms diabetes there are slowdown measures but no cure) 3 you just sound like an prick when you mentioned gang rape rape is bad enough games can be seen a a therapy for the socially inept and I think you miss the lovely part about the WHEELCHAIR!

I can say this because I have depression and I show more emotions than you and I'm have a social disability and I really can't look at people in the eyes or talk to them for more then 5 minutes but online in game I can speak my mind I can talk make friends things I can't irl

U r really insensitive aren't you. 1 never hate a mental illness or physical illness (your basically saying tell a person with depression stop being depressed or a deaf to hear a mute to talk a 2leg amputee to walk blind to see) 2 your name is far from the truth a realistic person would know based on her actions she is in a hospital for a reason and that some of the best doctors in the world can't cure some things (aka cancer ms diabetes there are slowdown measures but no cure) 3 you just sound like an prick when you mentioned gang rape rape is bad enough games can be seen a a therapy for the socially inept and I think you miss the lovely part about the WHEELCHAIR!

"Of course, his sculpting skill was pathetic.Even if he sculpted hundreds or thousands of times in virtual reality, it’s different in reality."What. WHAT.

Author!DECIDE!Is Weed a godly Sculptor, or not!? You can't have a Gary-Stu do awesome shit and then claim he's a scrub. You can't do that.

Also -- Weed claimed that Royal Road is SO realistic, that his cooking skills in VR translated 100% to RL. He learnt recipes from the game, and applied them in real life.You can't say that his cooking & combat improves, but his sculpting is fucking shit in RL.

Furthermore:"A face that became so familiar to the point that it almost came alive."

If Weed sucks so much at sculpting, how can he sculpt sculptures that makes people think it's alive? You want to tell me shit artists can do something like that?I hope this is a translation fuck up. I'm just sick and tired of all of the paradoxes and contradictions in this story.

Let's just stop pretending this is anything more than amateurish writing at best, when not explicitly goddamn awful.

I mean, we are talking about a story where a corean farmbot, stingy as the worst Scrooge, emotionally-deaf and virtually incapable of having any normal human interaction, is praised like the most amazing person on Earth and touches other people's existences to the point that even pop-stars and millionaires who go around picking up top models as if it was nothing spend their everyday life longing for a chance to "go hunting" (i.e. grinding like pigs) with him once again, because "after experiencing it everything else feels dull in comparison".

Not to mention even is fabled "sense of business" comes off as naive at best and delusional -if not downright demented- in most scenarios. People who strive for success value their time, they don't walk for hours to save on the bus ticket/taxi, they don't invest in hours and hours of tedious labor on menial tasks just spare few coins.

It was somewhat entertaining following his ascension to "overpowered as fuck", but holy shit if the whole narrative doesn't reek like the wet dream/power fantasy of most clueless nerd on the planet.

Agreed, I dont know anything the author but this story is written with someone with the mindset of under 17 years. The constant putting women on a piedestal or making them into godessess shows that and is quite annoying. Still it's quite impressive that someone like that can make such a long novel that is more or less cohesive. Would have been interesting if he had let an experienced writer put his idea to life,

Agreed Tuco, this has to be one of the most annoying and hated protagonist i've ever encountered. I find it extremely difficult to feel any attraction to him much less any form of sympathy. I enjoy the concept of the story and parts of it are entertaining, I thoroughly enjoy some of the side characters and some of the humor.. but when it comes to weed I'm finding it hard to keep going.

Hm, I've read thousands of stories (books/LNs/Fics/etc.) and I've got to say, Weed is one of my favorite MCs of all time.

At first, I didn't like Weed's personality, but as I read more and more volumes, his overall humoral approach on most things grew on me. In the next several volumes, the author will flesh more on his character. So, yeah, I suggest you guys to just continue reading it if you want. If not, then it's cool. We all have opinions.

As for the 'Putting women in a pedestal' or 'making them into goddesses'. Well, I've got to disagree on the 'Women' word coz the author only did that to Seoyoon. Woman. Singular.

You got a point though, I also hate characters like that. But Wow, as I read on, well, let's just say one of my favorite characters in this fic is Seoyoon. She's actually one of my favorite Girl characters when it comes to Anime/LN/Manhwa. And no, not because of her looks, but because of her personality.

...SPOILER......TURN BACK NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED...

Seoyoon is not a damsel in distress, she's one badass chick. Among Weed's party, she's literally the strongest player combat-wise (Yup, this is stated by Weed himself in the latter volumes, around Vol 30-34+, I forgot). She even annihilated a battalion of fleet/enemies/monsters just because they threatened Weed. (This happened around Vol 34+)

Weed's ascension to being OP... well, for me, it's not Gary-stu/Mary-sue kind of OP... that's because Weed suffered and struggled and the author mentioned and described in detail throughout the course of this story, and even along the way, the author also portrays Weed's struggles to improve his skills.

In my understanding of the Gary-stu kind of character, they often come as 'Suddenly OP!' or 'No one can beat me! Ever!'

But really, both impressions were thrown away, because Weed is not suddenly OP. And as for the undefeatable part? Nope, not true, because he did lose some important battles in the latter volumes.

I'm not gonna mention anymore spoilers, Just read it.

...END SPOILER...

Nevertheless, this is only my opinion. I don't know if you guys continued on reading this, but yeah, I recommend that you do. The more the story progresses, the more exciting it gets.

Beautiful chapter. It goes without saying, Weed (Hyun) is not the scrooge we think he is. If you read closely, there have been many instances of his caring nature. However, the author stays true to his character, so Hyun is constantly deluding himself, even though us readers and Weed himself know otherwise. Especially in Seoyoon's case, Weed just does NOT want to admit that she is pure inside and out, yet he has subtly mentioned it here and there that he is enamored with her. Not to mention, he has developed a state of "perpetual greed" as a method of survival, earning for his sister and grandmother from as early as 10 years old. Granted the story can ramble on and on at times about random details or obvious facts, but overall, aside from the plot itself being amazing, the details are incredibly coherent, intriguing, and well paced. My only disappointment is the fact that Weed is often with the group and Pale and co. Weed shines the best alone or with very few others, like Seoyoon and Alveron in this case.

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No matter where you are and what you look like. Create your own style.Let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others. The creation begins deep by yourself. Be inspired in my world and give your life an extra boost. So show yourself more and just be you ♥